Columns

Today we are facing grave and unprecedented threats to our religious freedom here in the United States. The Obama administration, through the Department of Health and Human Services, has decided to impose a nationwide mandate for coverage of all FDA-approved contraceptive drugs — including at least one abortion drug — sterilization procedures, and education and counseling to promote these to "all women with reproductive capacity."The HHS rule...

Days before final votes in Congress on the Affordable Care Act, Cardinal Francis George, then president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, reaffirmed what we bishops had said many times over the previous year: "Any final bill, to be fair to all, must retain the accommodation of the full range of religi...

In a recent speech to bishops from the state of New York who were making the visit to Rome required of each bishop every five years, Pope Benedict XVI returned to two of the themes that dominated his visit to the United States in 2008: the sexual abuse crisis and the new evangelization. The pope's speech was the first of five major addresses that he will give as the U.S. bishops journey in 15 regional groups to Rome ad limina apostolorum (to t...

I have tinnitus.

The more common term for it is "ringing in the ears." It's not a disease but rather a symptom of many, many things.

There's no easy way for me to trace what it is that is causing the persistent, high-pitched sound inside my head. It could be my depression and anxiety; it could be the anti-depressant drugs I take to fight those things. It could be because of my caffeine intake, though an absence of caffeine is on...

The most fundamental value of human life is the dignity of every human person. Nothing is more important than our awareness that life is sacred, and that human life is inviolable, because all are made in the image and likeness of God. No one has the right to take a human life arbitrarily.

A civilization experiences a severe moral crisis when it permits, or even encourages, the arbitrary taking of human life. Culture exists to build up h...

The first words Christ spoke to his Apostles after He rose from the dead were: "Peace be with you" (John 20:19). What He gave as a gift after His Resurrection, He left as a task after His Ascension: the Apostles, with the help of the Holy Spirit, were to communicate Christ's peace to others. Therefore, as the Holy Father points out, "Peace is both gift and task."

How can peace be both gift and task at the same time? A simple analogy can...

This Christmas we are making a special effort to urge all members of the Catholic community to "come home" for Christmas. Why? Because Christmas is a time for the entire family of God to recall the beauty and the wonder of the Christ Child's birth.

Catholics Come Home is a collaborative effort of parish initiatives coupled with a regional media campaign of television commercials. The commercials have been specially developed to encourag...

Mary, because she has entered intimately into the history of salvation, in a certain sense gathers up in her own person the great truths of the faith and awakens their resonance when she is the object of preaching and veneration; she summons the faithful to her Son, to His sacrifice and to the Father's love

(Lumen Gentium No. 63) 

Many Catholic...

Our Catholic faith is the largest Christian family in the world. Our Church is a vibrant and growing family, but we miss our brothers and sisters who have not been to Mass lately.

God loves you so much that He will not stop searching for you, reaching out to you, seeking you. St. Augustine, a convert to the faith at age 33, once said, "You have made us for yourself, O...

The Church always evangelizes, the Holy Father tells us, because it is the nature of the Church to give witness to the person of Jesus Christ and His saving message.

When we celebrate the sacraments, especially the holy Eucharist; when we proclaim the good news that God's kingdom is in our midst, here and now; when we give generously to the poor and work to build communities of justice and peace in our world; we are evangelizing. Today,...

I've been shopping for the perfect Christmas card, sifting through Nativity scenes framed in holly berries and bows.

None of the Marys feel right. The lips are taut. The face, unblemished. We see none of the bliss and bewilderment that must have surged after birthing the son of God. We see no emotion at all -- serenity as vacancy, sainthood as sedation.

This year's traditional Christmas stamp issued by U.S. Postal Service, Raphae...

Are you angry, hurt or lonely? Are you unhappy because people or situations in your life make you uncomfortable or afraid?

If so, you are not alone. Many people share your anxieties. As a result, the holiday season too often is a time of sorrow instead of a time of joy.

There are those who suffer from serious disorders that require professional help. I urge anyone who needs medical attention or professional counseling to seek hel...

Silence is not simply the absence of noise. It is a necessary condition for discernment and reflection, for meditation and prayer, and for "welcoming the word" into our minds and hearts.

Silence is necessary for evangelization -- welcoming God's word and integrating it into our daily lives. Unless we are able to filter out the ever-increasing bombardment of messages of social communication and mass media, there is no way we can welcome...

During the baseball playoffs last month, one of my co-workers greeted another by asking, "Did you see the Cardinals' game last night?

She replied: "Why would I watch other people play a game?"

I guess it shouldn't surprise me that some people aren't baseball fans. I must confess, though, that I don't understand. I mean, really, it's baseball -- especially Cardinals baseball! What's not to love?

One of the great blessings o...